Stave-drying apparatus.



Nb. 673-,273. Patented Apr. 30, [90L 6. LANGLOT'Z, E. WINDSOR &. W. H. HIN ESQ STAVE DRYING APPARATUS.

(App1ication filed Jan. 24. 1901.)

(No Model.)

NiTED STATES PATENT Orrion.

CHARLES LANGLOTZ, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND ELIJAI-I IVINDSOR AND WARREN H. HINES, OF POPLARBLUFF, MISSOURI, ASSIGNORS TO LOWELL M. PALMER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STAVE-DRYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,273, dated April 30 1901.

Application filed January 24, 1901. Serial No. 44,495. (No model.) i

To (tZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES LANGLOTZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the State of New York, and ELIJAH WINDSOR, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and WARREN H. HINES, a citizen of the United States, both residing at Poplarbluff, in the county of Butler and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stave-Drying Apparatus, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification. V

Our invention relates to an apparatus for use in holding barrel-staves under pressure during the process of drying them in a kiln.

Our invention consists in features of novelty hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

Figure I is a perspective view of one of the piling sticks or separators utilized in the apparatus. Fig. II is a view in side elevation, showing the apparatus with pressure applied thereto. Fig. III is a view in end elevation, showing the apparatus before pressure is applied.

1 designates trucks on which the apparatus is supported in moving it to and from the kiln. Mounted on the trucks are sills 2, that receive and support the foundation pilingsticks 33. These piling-sticks 3 are provided with concave pockets 4, that receive the lower staves A, placed thereon in pairs. Above the first series of staves is positioned one of a series of piling or separating sticks 5, these sticks each in turn receiving series of staves arranged in pairs, the piling of the staves being continued to the desired height, with a piling-stick alternatingvbetween each pair of staves and the staves being arranged in tiers from bottom to top of the apparatus. Each of the piling or separating sticks is provided at one side with concave pockets 6 and at the opposite side with convex projections 7, the curvaturetof the convex portions being of a greater degree (or less radius) than the curvature of the pockets, for a reason to be hereinafter explained.

Surmounting the topmost series of staves of through which pressure may be exerted upon the staves piled in the apparatus and which will next be described.

13 designates connecting-rods provided with nuts 14 and seated in the ends of the crossbeam 12. The upper ends of the connectingrods 13 are joined to connecting-rods 15 by 'turnbuckles 16. The upper ends of the connecting-rods 15 are loosely seated in yokes l7 and are provided with nuts 15 The yokes 17 are provided with shanks 18, that are seated in the ends of the cross-beam l1 and are equipped with nuts 19. Surrounding the connecting-rods 15 between the bottoms of the yokes 17 and the nuts 15 on the connectingrods are springs 20.

In applying pressure to the staves (after piling them as described and putting the crossbeam in position and joining them by the connecting-rods and yokes) the nuts 19 are tightened on the yoke-shanks 18, and the crossbeams 11 and 12 are thereby drawn toward each other, thus binding the staves between the piling or separating sticks 5 between the pockets 6 and convex projections of the pilingsticks. In thus confining the staves they are caused to fill the spaces between the pockets and projections when first placed in the apparatus in their green and undried condition previous to the shrinkage that naturally occurs in drying them; but as the staves dry and shrinkage takes place such shrinkage must necessarily be compensated for and is compensated for by the springs 20, which expand immediately upon the occurrence of such shrinkage and cause the cross-beams 11 and 12 to be still further drawn toward each other to maintain uniform pressure upon the staves.

The staves are placed in the apparatus in pairs in order to economize space and effect the drying of large numbers of staves with the greatest rapidity,and practical experience has demonstrated to us that in so arranging the staves in pairs throughout the apparatus it is essential, inorder to produce staves'of uniform shape when dried, that one stave receive the pressure of the piling or separating stick differently from the other stave. To efiect this, experience has proved that the curvature of the convex projections on one side of each piling-stick must vary from the curvature of the pockets in which the staves are laid, and we therefore provide the convex projections 7 with a greater degree of curvature than the curvature of the pockets 6.

The reason that this diiference in curvature of the pockets and convex projections is rendered necessary liesin" the fact that the convex projections effect a spreading action against the topmost staves of each pair, whereas the convex pockets 6 eifect a hugging action against the lowermost staves. It is therefore imperative that the curvature of theprojections and pockets be unequal in order that, on the shrinkage of the staves, the d'ifierence between the spreading action against one stave and the hugging action against the other stave may be compensated for, and the action at the two sides of the pair of staves be equalized, and the staves in each pairbe of uniform shape when dried.

We claim as our invention 1 In a stave-drying apparatus, the'combination of a framework within which the staves are piled in tiers and arranged. in series of pairs, separating or piling sticks located between said series of pairs of staves'; means for efiecting pressure upon said staves; said sticks having concave pockets and convex portions of diiferent radii, substantially as described.

2. In a stave-drying apparatus, the combination of a framework within which the staves are piled in tiers and arranged in series of pairs, separating or piling sticks 10- cated between'said series of pairs'of staves, means forcifecting pressu 1"e'uponsaidstaves said sticks having concave pockets and convex projections, said pockets and projections having varying degrees of curvature, sub: stantially as described.

3. In a stav'e d-ryingapparatus, the combiination of a framework within which the 'staves are piled'in tiers and arranged in series of pairs, separating or piling sticks located between said series of pairs of staves, means for effecting pressure upon said staves; said sticks having concave pockets and convex projections, the curvature of said projections being'ofgreaterdegree than the cur- .vature of said pockets, substantially as described.

4. In a stave-drying apparatus, the combination of a framework within which the stavesarepiled in tiers and'arranged in series ofpairs, separating or piling sticks located between said seriesof' pairs of staves, means for effecting pressure upon said'staves, and compensatingsprings arranged in said pressure means, substantially as described.

5. In a stave-dryingapparatus, the combination of a framework within which the staves are piled in tiers and arranged in series of pairs, separating or piling sticks located between said series of pairs of staves, cross-beams arranged above andbeneath said framework, connecting-rodsand turn-buckles applied to said beams, yok'es connected to said beams and said rods, and compensating springs applied to said rods within said'yokes, substantially as described. a Y

CHARLES LANGLOTZ. ELIJAH WINDSOR WARREN H. [-IINES. In presence of GEO. WINDSOR, J. R. HALL. 

